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Young people strike gold in Hampshirehttp://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=686292http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=686292
Young people strike gold in Hampshire

Friday, 31 Jul 2015

Across Hampshire 147 young people (aged 17 to 25) have struck 'Gold' after completing a range of challenges, to achieve the Duke of Edinburgh' (DofE) Gold Award.

At a ceremony, organised by the DofE, Hampshire Forum and Hampshire County Council, and held in The Great Hall in Winchester, 55 of the young achievers were presented with their Hampshire Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award certificates by the Guest of Honour, Mr Nigel Atkinson, Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire. Mr Atkinson is also the President of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Hampshire.

In addition to parents and friends, a number of civic dignitaries and guests were present to offer their congratulations to the young people. They included Lady Portal, High Sheriff of Hampshire, and Councillor Jonathan Glen, Chairman of Hampshire County Council. Vice Admiral Michael Gretton a Forum Vice President and a former National Director of the Award was also present, as were Forum Vice Presidents Mr Ian Greig and Brigadier Ray Bradbury.

Councillor Jonathan Glen, Chairman of Hampshire County Council and a Forum Vice President, said: "The Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme is an excellent opportunity for young people to challenge themselves and gain an enormous sense of achievement in doing so. The self-confidence they gain through testing themselves, learning new skills and meeting new people will stay with them for the rest of their lives and lead to future successes. They should be justifiably proud of their Gold Awards and I congratulate them."

Camping expeditions, overseas adventures, volunteering, crewing Tall Ships and volunteering for national charities were just some of the challenges undertaken by the young people as they worked towards gaining their awards.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a nationwide scheme, requiring participants to spend time volunteering, learning or improving a skill, taking part in a physical activity, and undertaking an expedition with a group of friends. In the case of the Gold Award, a young person will typically give over 50 hours of volunteering, spend a total of eighteen months on the skill and physical activities, and undertake a four-day expedition in terrain classified as 'Wild Country' - from Snowdonia and The Lake District, to Scotland - camping overnight, carrying all their kit, and being fully self-sufficient.

"DofE represents a major challenge, and gaining the Gold Award is a real achievement"; said Martin King, the Chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Hampshire Forum. "I hope to see many more young people following in their footsteps in the years to come."

Those going for Gold are also required to spend at least five days away from home on a challenge with a group of strangers. The young people attending the awards event had undertaken everything from crewing Tall Ships, helping children at a residential camp and assisting at a respite centre, to working with rural communities in Africa, Indonesia, Canada and the Himalayas.

The Lord-Lieutenant praised the young people for demonstrating the commitment and determination needed to gain this prestigious award, and, having pointed out that there was a real need for leaders to train the next generation of young participants, he urged them to offer some of their time and skill to those undertaking DofE Awards in the future.

As well as the formal awards ceremony there was a musical performance by Charlotte Calloway and Rachel Manson from the Woolston and Weston Open DofE Centre, both of whom received their Gold Award. Alex Green and Ollie Yeats-Brown from the Winchester Open DofE Centre read out the details of each young person's Gold achievements as well as receiving their own Gold certificates. Members of the Hampshire DofE Youth Forum provided their help with guiding VIP guests, handing the certificates and gifts to the Lord-Lieutenant, as well as persuading guests to contribute generously as the end of the evening.

]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 14:27:00 GMTCounty Council's country parks among the best in the UK.http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=686268http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=686268
County Council's country parks among the best in the UK.

Friday 31 July 2015

Hampshire County Council's five country parks will be flying the prestigious Green Flag Award for 2015.

The national award, handed out by environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards the best parks and green spaces across the country. The Green Flag is a sign to visitors that the County Council's country parks achieve the highest possible standards, are well-maintained, and have good facilities.

Councillor Andrew Gibson, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture, Recreation and Countryside, welcomed the accolade and said: "Green Flags are an important sign to visitors of the high quality they can enjoy during a visit to our country parks. They also represent all the hard work of staff, volunteers and partner organisations who are dedicated to making our country parks a wonderful location for everyone to enjoy.

"Over the next few years, we will be building on the success of our country parks, with a programme of transformation which, once complete, will provide an even greater array of activities and facilities, which will enable people to enjoy the outdoors more often throughout the year."

Lepe Country Park has over a mile of beautiful coastline which provides the perfect opportunity to take a tranquil stroll and admire stunning views across the Solent and over to the Isle of Wight. There is also an adventure playground for the children. The park shore played a vital role in D-Day preparations as thousands of troops with their vehicles and supplies left Lepe's beach for the coast of Normandy on 6 June 1944.

Manor Farm and Country Park can be enjoyed by all, whether it's walking, cycling or horse riding in the woods, or on the banks of the River Hamble. Children can enjoy meeting the animals in the historic farm, or play in the extensive Barnfield play area.

Queen Elizabeth Country Park has more than 200 acres of woodland and downland for the whole family to enjoy, with wonderful views of the South Downs and history that dates back to the Iron Age.

Royal Victoria Country Park sits on the shores of the River Solent and its iconic Chapel can be seen for miles around. From 1863 until 1966, the site was home to the Royal Victoria Hospital - more than a quarter of a mile long. As the British Army's first purpose-built hospital, the building devoted more than 100 years of service to caring for sick and wounded soldiers from across the world. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone herself on 19 May 1856 and visited the site over 20 times in her lifetime. The hospital came into its own during the First World War. The Heritage Lottery Fund has recently awarded a grant of £1.68 million to conserve the chapel. The project will include extensive conservation work, and improvements to the facilities for visitors.

Staunton Country Park offers acres of ancient woodland and beautifully landscaped parkland as well as George's Play Barn for the children and the farm, which is home to a wide range of animals from sheep and chickens, to Shetland ponies, a shire horse, llamas and Alpacas.

More information about Hampshire County Council's country parks and nature reserves can be found here

Thousands of children have flocked to libraries and Discovery Centres in Hampshire to sign up for this year's Summer Reading Challenge. More than 5,000 young people have already signed up to the national scheme which this year has a Record Breakers theme.

Councillor Andrew Gibson, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture, Recreation and Countryside, praised staff and Hampshire's eager young readers: "It is brilliant that so many young people have signed up for this year's Summer Reading Challenge in the first week."

Children can register at any time during the summer holidays. The scheme is open to anyone aged 4-11 and participants receive a Wacky and Weird World Record Breakers poster and special stickers along the way. The aim is to get as many young people as possible to read six library books of their choice. Those that finish the challenge get a medal and a certificate.

Councillor Gibson added: "Children's reading ability can decline over the summer and research by the Reading Agency has found that those who take part in the Summer Reading Challenge maintain, and even improve, their reading level over this period."

This year, on the first day of the challenge, there was a Guinness World Record attempt by libraries all around the country to gather the highest number of reading pledges. Fifteen of Hampshire's libraries took part and, with the support of independent witnesses from the local community, they contributed more than 3200 pledges to the national target. An announcement about the result of the record attempt is due shortly.

Mrs Stephanie Tyler, Head Teacher of Crondall Primary School, was Lead Witness at Fleet library. She said "My local librarian approached me to be a Lead Witness for the record attempt. Not only am I personally passionate about the importance of reading, but as a Head Teacher I fully understand the importance of reading for pleasure to support a child's development and set them up with a lifetime skill and the opportunity to develop something which will open up a myriad of opportunities as they grow. If children can keep up their reading it the summer it really supports their learning in both reading and writing."

Find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge 2015 taking place across all libraries in Hampshire until 13 September in our library blog.

]]>Thu, 30 Jul 2015 11:50:00 GMT400 Hampshire children raise the roof of the Royal Albert Hallhttp://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=684796http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=684796
400 Hampshire children raise the roof of the Royal Albert Hall

Friday, 24 Jul 2015

Over 400 Hampshire school children enjoyed a once in a lifetime opportunity to sing on the national stage at the Royal Albert Hall.

Commenting after the event on Saturday, that helped to kick start the BBC Proms season, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Education, Councillor Peter Edgar, said that he was 'immensely proud that the county had been represented so magnificently at such an auspicious event and in such a prestigious and iconic venue'.

As one of the BBC's Ten Pieces Champions, Hampshire County Council's Music Service has been working with 13 junior and primary schools on this piece of work since the autumn, culminating in Saturday's performance on the national stage.

BBC Ten Pieces is a new, national initiative involving 21,000 schools, led by BBC Learning and BBC performing groups. The aim is to introduce a generation of children to a range of classical music, inspiring them to use the music as a stimulus for their own creativity.

Children were able to respond to a choice of one of ten pieces of classical music and develop their own interpretation of the selected piece through music composition, dance, digital art and other art forms, as well as taking part in performances of the pieces.

The piece that the BBC Singers chose and invited specially selected champions, such as Hampshire Music Service, to participate in was written by George Frideric Handel for the coronation of George II in 1727, and is played at every coronation since then.

BBC Ten Pieces has also had the involvement of the five BBC Orchestras and the BBC Singers as well as celebrities such as Barney Harwood from Blue Peter and children's TV presenters Dick and Dom.

Quotes:

Gavin Hayman, Headteacher from Kings Copse Primary School, Hedge End, said: "Seated above the orchestra with a cracking view of the auditorium, our children were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience they will never forget. The event was inspirational and provided a lovely coda to a year's work on the BBC Ten Pieces project." Kathryn Stanely, Music Leader at the school, added: "Listening to (and feeling) the music of Holst, Beethoven and others at close quarters was truly exhilarating."

Mrs Maria McCusker, Headteacher, Hale Primary School, said: "The BBC and Hampshire Music Service provided the children of Hale School with a once in a lifetime experience . Zadok the Priest will be forever imprinted in our musical brains. It has inspired us all and hopefully the next generation of 'performers' too.".

Chris Parker, Headteacher of Orchard Junior School, Dibden Purlieu, said: "It was a day Orchard Junior's Choir will never forget! From the opening notes of "Mars, Bringer of War" to the fabulous Firebird at the end of the concert, the children were utterly spellbound. You don't get to be accompanied by the National Orchestra of Wales every day either! What an amazing opportunity!

Sarah Mullins, Deputy Headteacher, The Crescent Primary School, Eastleigh, said: "It was an incredible once in a lifetime experience for our children. The talent on display from schools around the country in response to the BBC Ten Pieces was inspirational."

Alison Langrish, Headteacher of Otterbourne Church of England Primary School said: "It was, without doubt, an experience that all those involved in will treasure. The 26 children from Otterbourne CE Primary School were spellbound by the magnificence of The Royal Albert Hall, mesmerised by the prestigious orchestra and enthralled by the many ways each of the BBC 10 Pieces were performed. Without exception, they each felt immensely privileged to have contributed to the brilliant performance of Handel's 'Zadok, the Priest' and, as their headteacher, I felt incredibly proud of each of them. Well done the BBC - what an inspirational project it has been."

Veronica Shaw, Headteacher, Scantabout Primary School, Chandler's Ford, said: "I have been a teacher/headteacher since the early 1980's and can say that, without a doubt, this was the most exciting event I have ever had the pleasure to take part in. The atmosphere in the hall was electric and it was a total joy to see and hear children making such glorious music together."

Caroline Welch, Headteacher, St Mary's Church of England Junior School, Old Basing said: "This was an amazing opportunity for our children to sing such a wonderful piece, alongside so many other children and with a professional orchestra. We are incredibly proud of all of our pupils' achievements in music at St Mary's, but to say that you have sung at the Royal Albert Hall is surely the icing on the cake!"

Karen Stonehouse, Headteacher of Bartley Church of England Junior School, New Forest, said: "Rehearsing at the Royal Albert Hall was amazing. The sound the children made was incredible, especially when they came to perform with the orchestra, but when they performed to the audience they were breathtakingly brilliant. It was like a professional adult choir singing in a cathedral for a state ceremony. Awesome!"

Over 60 pupils and teachers explored the value of religion in society at an education conference hosted by Hampshire County Council.

Council Leader Roy Perry, who also founded the Hampshire Interfaith Network, said: "Hampshire County Council is recognised locally, and nationally, for its high quality religious education (RE) support to schools, and I am pleased that were able to give young people the opportunity to interact and share ideas with peers from other schools. It really was a first class event."

Cllr Perry presented certificates to all those who attended and said that he hoped the pupils would return to their schools to establish their own 'Youth Voice for RE' groups in their schools and keep the conversation going with their peers and school councils.

Led by Hampshire's Youth Voice to the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and supported by many SACRE members; pupils aged 13-15 from seven Hampshire schools were asked 'Does religion matter today, even if you are not religious?' This thought-provoking question stimulated lively debate and, through the activities and workshops, the students were encouraged to think carefully and form their own judgements about whether, why and how religion matters for people living in modern British society, including those who are not religious.

Following a process for the day similar to the way religious education is taught across Hampshire from the Agreed Syllabus 'Living Difference revised' students had the opportunity to participate in a number of workshops led by a theologian from Winchester University as well as representatives from Christian, Sikh, Muslim and Jewish communities in Hampshire. Pupils considered why philosophers and modern figures, from the Dalai Lama and Russell Brand, believe that spiritual revolution is the way to change the world.

Feed back from students:

"At the start of the day I thought taking RE GCSE as a core subject would not be as useful as taking history for example, but now I believe it is fundamental as religion impacts on everything we do. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and am very grateful to Hampshire SACRE and SACRE Youth Voice for running this event."

"I really enjoyed our experience at the SACRE youth conference. The question of discussion was 'Does religion matter ?'even if you are not religious?' At the beginning of the day I had the uneducated opinion that no it doesn't matter. The two workshops I found most interesting were about the spiritual revolution and about Sikhism and the life of a Sikh. These two workshops really made me reconsider my beliefs and understand the large impact and value religion has on me and others. The workshops made me realise that religion is a part of everything we do, everything we see, and everyone that is around us in the modern culturally diverse world that we live in, whether you like it or not, and that it should be accepted in society without any stereotypical beliefs. I really found the conference very enlightening and educational.'"

"The speakers were very interesting and challenged my understanding and thinking. The workshops were a good idea and a fun way to make us think about the question at hand. I liked the way that we all came together at the end of the conference to discuss what we thought was the answer to the question. I think that RE is important even if you aren't religious because aspects of religion relate to many aspects of everyones' daily life."

"I enjoyed the round table discussions where we made posters and could express our ideas. I have now gained a greater understanding."

Over 1,000 young people have been taught how to be safer on the roads this year thanks to Hampshire County Council's road safety education.

Councillor Seán Woodward, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, said: "Our programmes are designed to instill a life-long sense of responsibility on the roads. Overall, Hampshire's record for road safety is good, and I'm pleased to say that in recent years road casualties have declined. But any casualty on the roads can have a devastating effect and it is important to continue to do what we can to prevent accidents from happening.

"This year our Road Safety Team has been working hard with sixth form colleges and schools promoting Safe Drive Stay Alive events, which are run by the Police. It is really encouraging to see that around 2,500 students have already booked to take part next term, while some colleges have made the events compulsory for second year students.

"Our cycle training for children in school Years 5, 6 and 7, Bikeability continues to grow with 9,011 children trained during the last financial year, achieving level 2 and 3. The Road Safety Team works with many schools across Hampshire to ensure children who cycle to school do so safely by teaching them how to take responsibility for their own safety, respecting others on the road, making sure they can be seen, always wearing a helmet and encouraging good bike maintenance.

"We also provide advice to drivers about the impact drinking alcohol has on driving the next morning, helping more people stay safe, and offering advice and training for older drivers."

The County Council provides education and training resources promoting road safety across the spectrum for people who live and work in Hampshire, with the aim of making the roads safer for everyone to use. Campaigns run throughout the year to highlight the importance of road safety for drivers, riders, cyclists and pedestrians. A team of specialists, including road safety officers, work in partnership with other organisations, including Hampshire Constabulary and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, the NHS and other local authorities.

Over half the secondary schools in Hampshire have signed up for StreetSense, a programme aimed at secondary school students aged 11-16 that highlights the dangers of being distracted by the roadside by devices like mobile phones or by wearing headphones.

In addition 132 primary and junior schools across the county have been through the Junior Road Safety Officer scheme (JRSO) and once trained the children go back to school and teach their peers key road safety messages.

Also throughout the year the Road Safety team undertakes child seat safety checks across the county and offers and promotes driver courses for all drivers.

At a civic presentation held to recognise good behaviour in Gosport schools, Councillor Peter Edgar, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Education commented: "Good manners and the right behaviours are a life discipline and I commend the schools who took part in the 'Respect' challenge for their support to instill this in their pupils."

He continued: "Disruption in a class room caused by just one child misbehaving not only has a negative impact on that child, it also affects the learning of an entire class so it is important that children quickly learn to be respectful and well behaved at school in order to get the most out of their education."

Gosport primary school children, who had taken part in a special challenge aimed at promoting good behaviour in school, were invited to Gosport Borough Council to be presented with certificates, in recognition of their efforts, by Councillor Edgar and the Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Keith Farr.

The 'Respect' challenge was set by the County Council's Primary Behaviour Service (PBS) over the Spring term. It was trialled as a method of encouraging pupils in four Gosport schools, to behave well and to minimise negative behaviour that, if persistent and serious, might result in a child being excluded for a fixed period of time.

Certificates were awarded to a representative from each class of children from Elson Junior, Brockhurst Junior, Woodcot Primary and Newtown Primary, in acknowledgement of their class' commitment to understanding and showing 'respect' over the last two school terms. The Mayor additionally awarded each class one of his Mayor 'Bear' badges.

The Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Keith Farr, said: "All too often people are quick to condemn all young people as being rude and disrespectful, which is completely wrong as sadly you can get rude and disrespectful people in all age groups. Many of our young people are a credit to their families and their schools and that is clearly demonstrated here today."

To set the 'Respect'; challenge, a member of the PBS team led a whole class discussion (circle time) on the value of 'Respect' and what that means to them. They needed to be honest and admit if they had ever hurt anyone, not respected property, or interrupted an adult. They were then challenged to try really hard to be respectful to each other and all the staff at the school.

Teachers were given badges, by the PBS team, to issue each day to children who had behaved respectfully. A PBS team member revisited the schools a few weeks' later to see the progress that the children were making and the number of badges each child received was recorded. The schools report that good behaviour has improved and maintained.

Woodcot Primary School's Headteacher, Marion Clist, commented: "Children at Woodcot wear their 'I'm respectful badge' with pride when it is awarded to them. They love the special attention they get when someone notices it and enjoy explaining what they did to earn it. Children of all ages have been motivated by the challenge of being the most respectful in their class and have looked forward to the opportunity of having tea with the Mayor."

"It has been lovely to see how the children have engaged in the program and they way they have conducted themselves around the school in a more respectful manner, for example holding doors for adults and waiting to talk at appropriate moments. The children really rose to the challenge and were keen to let us know when they have received the badges", added Loz Sothcott from Elson Junior School.

According to Karen Russell, Headteacher at Newtown CE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School: "The Respect Programme has been instrumental in developing the children's understanding of the meaning of respect, which in turn, has influenced their actions towards other people in school. The children are also able to articulate a language of respect. We will continue to further build on the successes of this project through our new school value of respect."

]]>Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:43:00 GMTGame, Set and Match - Sport Hampshire and Isle of Wight to have brighter, more independent futurehttp://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=684313http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=684313
Game, Set and Match - Sport Hampshire and Isle of Wight to have brighter, more independent future

Thursday 16 July 2015

Councillor Andrew Gibson, Executive Member for Culture, Recreation and Countryside, has reinforced the Council's commitment to increasing people's participation in sport and physical activity.

He has approved the transfer of services and funding of the county sports partnership, Sport Hampshire and Isle of Wight, from its current hosting relationship with Hampshire County Council to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation to be fully operational from 1 April 2016.

He said: "A move to an independent trust provides an exciting opportunity to create a more diverse funding model for Sport Hampshire and IoW (SHIOW) and, in turn, provides the best chance of continuing to deliver quality services for residents.

"The work carried out by SHIOW is very well regarded by Sport England, the partner organisations involved and the many Hampshire residents, young and old, who have benefited from the diverse range of programmes to encourage take-up of a variety of sports and physical activity over the past 14 years. SHIOW will continue to deliver certain elements of Hampshire County Council's sports development programme."

SHIOW is the fourth largest of 45 county sports partnerships across England. Its vision is: 'Inspiring more people, to be more active, more often,' and it works with sports clubs, schools, local authorities, sport and leisure providers and local NHS organisations and businesses to encourage more people to undertake regular physical activity and enjoy a greater sense of health and wellbeing.

Sport England, SHIOW's largest financial contributor, has asked all county sports partnerships to reduce their reliance on Sport England Funding by 2017. The County Council is the second largest financial contributor to SHIOW. Responsibility for sports development lies with district and unitary councils and is not a specific responsibility for the County Council.

Considering SHIOW's charitable purpose, governance requirements and security of funding through grants, it was felt that the CIO model was the most appropriate model for the organisation.

The CIO will be registered with the Charity Commission, with provision for up to eight trustees, who will be the only voting members of the organisation. The County Council will agree fixed annual grant funding totalling £446,000 over a three year period.

The recognised SHIOW brand secured around £1.4 million of external funding in 2014-15 and has the potential to attract new opportunities and external investment and strategic partnerships across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and possibly regionally and nationally.

Commenting on the early provisional key stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) results for 2015, Councillor Peter Edgar, Executive Member for Education at Hampshire County Council, said: "This is an excellent set of results. Children currently in Year 6 should be very proud of their achievement which is testament to their hard work and that of their teachers as well as the invaluable support of their families.

"I have had the pleasure of seeing first hand the fantastic quality of education in Hampshire, having spent time in many of our schools. We are ambitious for our schools and the pupils who are educated by them. To this end we do all we can to support our family of schools to achieve such high standards and continually improve."

The results just released show that Hampshire's 11 year olds have maintained and built on the high standards in reading, writing and mathematics achieved in recent years.

Of the children currently in Year 6 at primary school (age 10-11 years old) 89% of children achieved the nationally expected level 4 or above in mathematics, 91% in reading and 89% in writing. The percentage of those achieving level 4 or better in all areas continues to improve and has reached 83%. This represents a further improvement from last year's impressive 82%, significantly above the 2014 national average of 79% . 27% of Hampshire children reached the higher standard of level 5 in all three subject areas, an improvement of 2% from 2014 and again well above the national average.

The Eastleigh Area Schools Orchestra (EASO) celebrated 40 years of music-making with a concert featuring members' favourite pieces as well as a work that appeared on the first ever EASO programme.

The event, held in the orchestra's rehearsal venue, Thornden Hall, Chandlers Ford, was attended by Eastleigh's Deputy Mayor and his wife - Des and Veronica Scott - together with the two people who founded and conducted the orchestra in 1975, Pearl Mace and David Leverton.

After the interval around 20 former members of the orchestra joined today's members in playing 'La Rejouissance', the allegro from Handel's 'Music for the Royal Fireworks'.

EASO, which is run by Hampshire County Council's Music Service, is open to young musicians aged 6 to 18 years, and both the string and the wind groups take children from Grade 1 up.

It consists of a wind orchestra (EAWO) led by Gabrielle Horne and a string orchestra (EASTO) led by Sue Leonard, both members of the Hampshire Music Service. Both groups are active participants in the Hampshire music scene, with EASTO winning the Assumpta Brady Cup for Most Promising Group at the Southampton Music Festival in March. EAWO also took part in the festival and was invited to perform at the Saturday night festival concert.

Councillor Peter Edgar, Executive Member for Education at Hampshire County Council, said "Hampshire Music Service is an excellent example of the quality services provided by the County Council.

"The contribution the service makes to young people's all round education is significant and important, both to driving up standards in our schools and for encouraging social interaction and integration among our young students," he said.

Cllr Edgar was speaking after The Gosport and Fareham Youth Orchestra, one of Hampshire Music Service's many successful music groups for young people, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a concert of ensemble favourites.

"It was one of the most spectacular concerts I have ever attended and it was absolutely marvellous to see present and past members of the orchestra, some 250 of them, playing together and recalling the past 60 years," he said.

The event was also attended by the Mayors of Fareham and Gosport. Among the highlights of the concert, at Fareham's Ferneham Hall, was the premiere performance of 'Diamond Celebration'. The orchestral score was composed specially for the event by Tom Guyer, a young conductor and composer. Tom is a former percussion member of the Gosport and Fareham Youth Orchestra and a past winner of the Hampshire Music Service Composition Award.

Now rehearsing at Henry Cort, Fareham and with more than 150 members, the Gosport and Fareham Youth Orchestra continues to go from strength to strength and will be touring Belgium this summer.